


In cuddles we trust

by ExtraSteps



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff everywhere, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23476624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtraSteps/pseuds/ExtraSteps
Summary: Theo just needs somewhere safe to stay the night. He goes to Liam's house and gets more than he bargained for.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 13
Kudos: 232





	In cuddles we trust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [parttimehuman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/parttimehuman/gifts).



It astonishes him that Liam barely even stirs when he lifts up the blanket to his bed and slips in beside him. It speaks highly to either the trust he has for him or the sheer obliviousness, but Theo is far too tired to question which it is.

He’s too busy feeling overwhelmed with warmth and safety and that scent.

Liam rolls and Theo freezes, eyes wide and focussed on his face, but Liam doesn’t do anything other than snuggle closer, grumbling a little as Theo’s cool skin saps at some of his warmth. Theo’s heart, Tara’s really, is hammering in his chest.

This is a _terrible_ idea.

But it’s far too late to try and extricate himself now. Liam has not only snuggled closer, but has now draped one leg over Theo’s thigh, their bodies intertwining in a way that has Theo shaken to his core.

They’re cuddling. Liam’s face is nuzzled into his chest, their legs are tangled together, and they’re _cuddling_.

At least the nightmare is fading from memory, some of the icy chill in his bones thawing thanks to his new personal heater. Still, this wasn’t _exactly_ what he’d imagined when he’d snuck into Liam’s house. He’d just needed to be near a heartbeat other than his own.

But this, this is nice. _Really_ nice.

He sniffs at the mess that is Liam’s hair. He always smells good, and this close Theo can appreciate it even more, sucking in lungfuls of it until his pulse settles to something more normal and he’s calmer.

With the calm though, comes the realisation that his arm, trapped under Liam’s body, is going numb. His fingers twitch and he grimaces at the sharp buzz of pins and needles that reverberate up his arm. He can’t sleep like this.

Theo tries to ease it out from under Liam, but the wolf growls in warning, somehow becoming even heavier. He freezes. Is Liam awake?

But he doesn’t stir any further, just breathing deeply, heartbeat steady. Theo knows for a fact that Liam isn’t this good an actor so he sighs, head falling back against Liam’s pillow, resigned to losing all feeling in his arm.

He’s warm and comfortable for the first time in recent memory and his mind drifts, for once not worrying about where he’ll park next when some deputy taps on his window, or the ominous sighing of the wind through the cracks in his windows, or if every snapped branch is a hunter creeping up on him. His only worry right now is his dead arm, and what Liam will think when he…

Liam interrupts his thought, rolling away from Theo, but somehow still taking his arm with him. He hugs it to his chest and Theo has no choice but to follow unless he wants a dislocated shoulder from it, and he squirms, biting at his lip. He can see the enticing skin of Liam’s neck and wants desperately to bury his face in it, breathe him in properly.

Because now they’re not just cuddling. Liam’s back is plastered to Theo’s chest, the two of them fitting together like two halves of a whole. They’re _spooning_. 

His fingers twitch. Underneath them he can feel the soft down of Liam’s chest hair, and he’s itching to explore. Because of course, of course, Liam doesn’t wear a shirt to bed.

 _The little shit_ , he grumbles internally. But as much as he’s suffering right now, he’s also aware of what a rare opportunity he has here. He’s holding Liam in his arms, something he never would have believed possible, not even in his wildest imaginings. And this might be his only ever chance he has to do so. Liam will probably kick his ass in the morning, but right now, that seems worth it.

So Theo snuggles in as close as he can get, and he drapes his other arm around Liam’s waist, and he noses at that place behind his ear that is enticing him so much, and he smiles as he falls asleep, holding the boy he cares for so deeply.

***

Not even the warmest bed in the world or the most amazing sleep of his life, nor the pretty boy in his arms are enough to stop Theo from waking up when the pre-dawn light peeks through Liam’s partially open curtains. It’s instinct, and he goes from asleep to alert at the first chirp of birdsong, adrenaline roaring through his veins.

It’s followed immediately by confusion, his brain jarring between dream and reality. He had gone to sleep in his truck, and now he was-

In front of him, Liam grumbled in his sleep, and Theo silently cursed, brain finally catching up and recalling the previous night’s events.

The nightmare, somehow even more horrifying than usual, the urgent need to escape, to get somewhere safe.

And that instinct had brought him here, to Liam.

As much as he wants to sink back down into the bed and continue taking advantage of this amazing gift he’s somehow been given, Theo knows it’s better to sneak out now while Liam is asleep.

So he works at extricating himself, first taking his arm away from where it hangs over Liam’s hip and then shifting back, wriggling out his arm from under Liam’s body, conscious the entire time of every twitch Liam makes while he does so.

He’s so focussed on movement that he misses the intake of breath and pitter patter of Liam’s heart picking up speed.

Theo has his arm mostly out from under Liam’s body when the boy rolls over towards him and all but lies on top of him. Theo goes statue still, holding his breath, staring disbelievingly at the wild bird’s nest that is Liam’s hair. 

It’s only then that he realises that the other boy’s breaths aren’t quite so even anymore, and that his eyes are squeezed shut, and that his scent is turning an endearing mix of nervous and determined.

“Liam?”

He doesn’t respond, just cuddles tighter around Theo’s body, clinging to him like a koala. And that, that is very surprising.

Theo has no idea what to do. He’d been leaving so that Liam didn’t wake up and kick his ass, and now that Liam is instead stopping him from leaving, he’s more than a little confused.

As a test, he tries to move away again. Liam actually growls.

“Not a morning person, huh?” Theo mutters, amusement starting to cut through the confusion. Liam’s just so cute, with the cuddling and the crazy bird’s nest and that adorable little growl. He’s like a big teddy bear.

Liam’s body is tense, so Theo sinks back into his bed and places his arms back around him, nudging Liam over so that he’s lying directly on top of him, his weight solid and warm. Theo closes his eyes, pushing aside everything but how nice it is to have Liam’s body pressing him into the bed.

Slowly, Liam relaxes, his scent turning sweet. Theo turns his face towards him, nostrils flaring. It’s unfair how good Liam always smells. It makes him weak.

There’s something really comforting about having someone else’s weight draped over your body like a blanket. Theo finds himself drifting back off to sleep without meaning to, nose pressed into Liam's hair, their legs tangled and his arms wrapped around Liam’s lower back.

“Are you _seriously_ falling asleep again?” Liam grumbles into Theo’s collarbone.

He hums his agreement, arms tightening slightly as Liam shifts a bit. Liam isn’t kicking his ass, or kicking him out of his bed, so he’s perfectly content right where he is.

But he can’t fall asleep, not when Liam’s scent starts turning sour, his heart starting to race.

“I can hear the wheels in your head turning,” he says quietly, stroking a hand up Liam’s spine and resting it gently on the back of his neck. “What’s wrong?”

Liam shivers and goes very still. Theo frowns.

The other boy turns, sliding away from him. Concerned now, Theo lets him go but follows, rolling with him so that they’re lying face to face. Liam avoids his gaze, squirming a little. Theo’s more than a little lost. Liam had been the one to stop him from leaving, so why does he now look like he wants to be anywhere other than here?

“Do you want me to leave?” He asks, a pang making his chest ache.

Liam’s eyes, startlingly blue this close, fly up to meet his. “ _No_ ,” he immediately protests, and then softer, “no.”

Theo studies his face and then nods, waiting patiently while Liam tries to gather his thoughts. He looks conflicted, and Theo has no idea what to do or say to help him with that. 

“I don’t want you to go,” he says eventually, expression pained.

“I’m not leaving,” Theo reassures him, but Liam just shakes his head.

“I don’t mean _now_ ,” he says, biting at his lip in a manner that is more distracting than it has any right to be. It takes a few long seconds for Theo to drag his eyes away from the sight and concentrate on what Liam had said to him.

“What?”

When Liam is nervous, he starts producing word vomit, and now is no exception. “Well I mean, you were the one who slept in my bed. So I figured that means you’re ready to stop pretending you’re sleeping in your truck. You know it isn’t safe, there’s hunters and other packs and traps and I, I just don’t want you out there, not anymore. I can’t _stand_ it, I can’t-”

Theo stops him with a hand over his mouth and Liam stutters to silence, eyes wide as he stares at him, chest rising and falling a little faster than normal. Liam had been working himself up to a full rant.

“What, _exactly_ , are you suggesting?” Theo asks him, curious now.

Liam raises an eyebrow at him and Theo lowers his hand, letting it rest on his chest. Even if he couldn’t hear how fast Liam’s heart is racing, he’d be able to feel it against his hand. His skin is warm, and Theo gets distracted again, fingers twitching against the down of hair that covers both of Liam’s pecs.

“Stay here,” Liam whispers. Theo looks up at him, his own heart pounding in his chest, throat going tight with emotion. “Stay with me.”

He should laugh it off, tell him he’s being silly. But the look in Liam’s eyes makes him swallow down the impulse. Liam’s serious, and Theo can’t lie to himself anymore than he can lie to Liam. He wants this.

“I shouldn’t,” he said, grimacing and pulling away. 

Liam doesn’t let him. He grabs his hand, holding it against his chest. “You _should_ ,” he insists. “Don’t try and tell me that wasn’t the best you’ve slept in ages, Theo.”

He doesn’t say anything, but he knows Liam is right. 

“Your parents-”

Liam scoffs, immediately interrupting him. “They both love you.”

Theo stares at him. “What, why?”

“Because they know how many times you’ve saved me,” Liam says, lips turning up slightly. 

“They _know_?”

Liam nods. “I know you haven’t met my parents, but they’ve always supported me. It took me a while to tell them the truth, but honestly when I did it was such a relief. They know everything.”

Theo’s stomach sinks. “How could they like me then? After everything I’ve done?”

Liam hesitates and then scoots even closer. “Because I do,” he says eventually, cheeks going pink. “And they trust my judgement.”

Theo’s mind goes completely, utterly blank. There’s this static noise buzzing in his ears and he stares at Liam incredulously. “You like me?”

Liam gives him a shy, nervous smile. “Yeah,” he admits. “I like you a lot, Theo.”

Theo says nothing, just searching his face. But there’s no deception in his scent, no tell-tale skip of a heartbeat. He’s telling the truth.

“I have for a long time now, actually,” Liam continues as Theo keeps staring. “Probably longer than I should have. You were a bit of an asshole, but-”

Theo’s heard enough and cuts him off mid-rant. Liam gives a muffled squeak of surprise but then immediately melts into him, pulling him closer so that he can kiss Theo back. Their lips brush gently, Theo’s hands trembling slightly as they frame Liam’s face.

He closes his eyes, luxuriating in the feel of Liam’s lips _finally_ meeting his own, sinking into his bed. His heart is singing and he breaks off the kiss, overwhelmed with happiness, hiding his grin in Liam’s neck. Liam chuckles and holds him tight.

Theo breathes him in for a minute, lips brushing gently over Liam’s pulse and making him shiver. He honestly can’t believe that he’s allowed to kiss him like this, to cuddle up to him and bask in the scent of his answering happiness.

“I like you too,” he whispers, face still hidden.

Liam turns his head so that Theo has to look at him and Theo can feel his cheeks heating at the admission. But Liam just smiles and leans in to kiss him again.

“ _Stay_ ,” Liam says against his lips.

He kisses Liam softly and then lets his head fall back against the pillow, smiling at him.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “I’ll stay.”

Liam cheers and then tackles him, peppering his face with kisses, and Theo laughs, trying, but not _really_ trying, to get away from him. The tickling soon turns back into kissing and then into cuddling, and Theo smiles down at Liam, who is resting his head on his chest and purring while Theo runs a hand through his hair.

Maybe coming here hadn’t been such a terrible idea after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I love you, Mercy <3


End file.
